John 17:13-26 Jesus' valedictory prayer

John 17:13-26 Jesus now makes six specific petitions for his disciples. Verse 20 indicates that these petitions are not just for those disciples in the room with Him, but for all who believe in Him at any time and place.

•    Joy - in verse 13, Jesus asks the Father that His disciples may have the same fullness of joy that He had.

•    Evil - in verses 14-16, Jesus acknowledges that the world will hate them, but He does not ask the Father to take them out of the world, but that He protect them from the evil. The will be in the world even though they are not of the world, but that does not mean they are the evil one's prey.

•    Sanctity - in verses 17-19 Jesus asks the Father to sanctify the disciples in truth, which is the Father's word. Hagiozon suggests separation and purification, in this case to the truth of the Father's word. Jesus asks the Father to set them apart to His word, just as He has Himself, and yet they are going to go into the world. How they can be separated yet in the world is implicit in His prayer - that the Father will empower them (and us) to live lives within the world yet according to the words the Father gave.

•    Unity - in verses 20-23 Jesus repeats His prayer for unity among the disciples. He repeats His statement that the world would know that Jesus had sent them and that the Father had sent Jesus, when those who believe in Him are one, just as Jesus and the Father are one.

•    See Him - in verse 24 Jesus states His desire that those whom God has given Him be with Him and see His glory. Jesus also asks the Father that His disciples may see the love of the Father for Jesus before the world was created. This love will be part and parcel of the glory that the disciples will see when they are in Jesus, which is the brightness of His magnificence, blessedness, majestic excellence. That they (and we) see this glory would seem to imply that in this life, being in the world but not of the world, Jesus wants us nonetheless to experience a part of that glory of the Father's approval of Him, which He is sharing with His disciples. This glory and this love do not appear to be separate things, but different aspects of the relationship that the Father has with Jesus - a single thing that has multiple attributes that are inseparable.

•    Knowing the Father - in verses 25-26 Jesus closes His final prayer by restating His desire that the relationship He has with the Father, the love that the Father has for Him, will be in His disciples.